SWTOR Not Going Free to Play Anytime Soon

Bioware bosses dish out thoughts on Free to Play MMOs.

Its hard to say if Bioware will need to change their tune on the terms of their business model for the recently released (and great by the way...review incoming) MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, but as for now, the Bioware bosses Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk don't see this happening.

When asked about the possibility of Star Wars: The Old Republic going free to play, Greg Zeschuk gave his thoughts on the business model, and why it doesn't work for a game like The Old Republic.

"I'm not saying it's better or worse. It just doesn't supplant the other things. 'Cause we can do some things no one else can... The free-to-play people can't invest to the level we can invest, and can't create something of the size and scale of something we can create," Zeschuk said in an interview with Joystiq. From a business perspective Zeschuk believes that the model is "ridiculous".

Apparently, the folks at Bioware believe that "you get what you pay for" and anyone that's given The Old Republic a whirl can attest to that.

By Al McCarthy on December 30, 2011

Did you this story? Please share it with your friends

Sarnius

Lol why would it go free, that’s stupid.
- Douchebagsareus
  
  It kills me that people complain about paying for CrapBox Live to play and yet are so willing to piss away money on these mmo’s
roflcopter

I do not mind, paying 50€ for a good game.
But no game and I repeat, NO GAME is worth 15€ per month!
- josh
  
  It is if it’s one of the only games you’re paying for every year.
  Mayn I know I’ve spent way more than 180 on games a year.
Ed

I Love this game, and very much worth the money.
That Guy

why even ask such a question. thats like asking a blizzard dev if WoW is going f2p any time soon.its a game much better than wow and deserved the price.
reese

evrey other starwars mmo is pay to play so make this one free if they know what free means
Jason

GW2 will be free to play once you buy the initial copy and I see a lot more potential for it than I do SWTOR or WoW. Both games are fun but I won’t support a pay to play model ever again.
MOAVGproductions

I believe they will be going free to play, eventually.
look at World of Warcraft, the biggest mmorpg in the world, and they are slowly adapting a free to play, unlimited trial.
If the biggest mmorpg goes free to play in that sense, all the other commerical mmorpgs will soon to follow. Sort of the young ducks following mama duckling. Other companies such as Turbine has seen a huge playerbase growth, with the free to play release of Dungeons and Dragons online, and my personal favorite, Lord of the rings online.
Like Bioware stated, SWTOR is not going free to play “anytime soon”. I wouldn’t expect them to, but, they didn’t say never.
Enjoy in a year, because that is my professional opinion that SWTOR will go F2p within a year.
:)
Sarnius

Are you guys idiots!?!? SINCE WHEN IS A GAME EVER FREE.

SWTOR is the best MMO out there too.